Ok, I can print these plans out on my laser printer at 4x this size, should be a nice next build. What scale is 40%, what would the wing span width be? 50% would be 1/2 scale? Krickey, I'm going to need a bigger car for transporting these. Can anyone say Mercedes-Benz Sprinter?

Back to this 1650mm span. I decided to look at these A4 size sheets on the wing, thinking of having these all laser cut so at least my wing comes out somewhat straight. I opened up the PDFs and found some work is needed with the drawings to make correct for cutting. Updated the R1-R5 file (2mm ply) and noticed that these are the only ones illustrated in vector with the notches for the top and bottom spar. All the other pieces R6-R27 do not have notches indicated in the drawings for the spar box. Hmmm, need to fix these too. I'll post up the updated PDF for wings, ready for laser cutting. National Balsa in MA can cut these and supply my Sitka spruce too.

I think an 1/8 scale might be better for me after this, I can work up to 4 meter! That 4m size will def. require an Audi quattro Avant upgrade and bigger shop table. The 1/8 scale will match my other 2meter sailplanes and full size 16,0 meters ASK-13 scales down (at 1/8) to 2,0 meters span (78.74") exactly. Thanks for the inspiration, I'm sure larger will fly better.

More progress, sanded air frame and applied panels. I found a new use for my iPad as a light table. Scaled the updated PDF profile to fit exactly to the plans and traced the front skid / skate. Why print out paper when you can use an iPad?

The iPad also works as the best ref. unit around. Fits on the bench, load up any photo and size for details. Purfect.

I"m trying to document this build as best as I can photographically so that others can benefit and hopefully learn from my mistakes and or progress. I traced the panels and will update the plans with these too. The panels lines are so critical to make the "correct" looks for a finished sailplane. After pouring over hundreds of photos I think I've got it.

Update... 20 days since I've started and it's starting to look more like an ASK-13.

- Finished the bottom sheeting over the holiday weekend and realized if I did the side paneling, I wouldn't be able to remove from the jig. So, off the jig it goes.

- My first impressions are it is amazingly light and strong feeling compared to my uncovered EPO sailplane fuselages and going to be a small little slope, aerotow unit.

- Added balsa stringers to the tops of the fuselage bulkheads F4-F7, this seems to tighten it up some and will allow me to add glue when installing the balsa sheeting on top.

- Again after pouring over hundreds of photos of ASK-13's the skid / skate profile, something doesn't seem right on the drawings and what I made. Even on the factory AS drawings it is off a little from production. So, I set out to correct it. I'm planning to cover the fuselage with cloth and medium CA, then paint. Laying the cloth down will give me the loose look that covers the real skate. I'm leaving off covering the open area next to the skate with balsa. Also filed back the lower sections of F2, F3 so the cloth can depress in some.

Thanks for chiming in and coaching me along with this. Yes, when I pulled it off the jig it was pretty kewl, then of course, realized the skid / skate oversight. Maybe I should have been upside down building it the whole time?

- I guess I should fit the side panelling and dial in the nose area next.
- After that, work on the tail F10 alignment / attachment and rudder.

I'm getting a little nervous about building the wings. I see that one method is to sandwich together some of the ribs and sand to shape. Never done that.

I wonder if I could send out an updated .DWG file to have them all laser cut instead? Since I can easily draw in Illustrator and totally understand plans and drawings, that part is easy. I'm even trained in Autotrol CAD software on an old DN3000 computer.

So, where do I send files to have them laser cut? National Balsa in MA has the Sitka Spruce I need and can laser cut, any ref. are they good? Other suggestions, would be nice to get wing wood at the same place.

You all know where this is going to go... short kit for several different scales.

Oh, I don't have any proper European tug's (Wilga 35, 104 or 80) to tow this with, but do have a new local flying buddy and he is a good pilot and all over the idea of helping out. Even the guys at my club don't aerotow, we have such a nice long close-cut grass runway, going to have to change that!

So... I thought about building the Wilga PLZ-104 kit Esprit model has (I'll stick with scratch building scale sailplanes for now). It is close to 1/8 scale and will tow all my other 2 meters perfectly too.

Images

I've been working on the CAD plans today and noticed some discrepancies and incorrectly drawn parts in the wing ribs. The original designer didn't figure in the wing sheeting for R5 through R27 - ruhro. Easy enough to fix, just takes time to lay it out on the wing plan view and redraw correctly.

I've also taken the liberty to adjust slightly for conversion to 1/16" balsa sheeting (1.587mm rather than the 1mm drawn) on the wing ribs for us yanks and will send out the whole lot as a .DWG file for laser cutting to ak-models, wahoo!

This *might* explain why the original builder in the Netherlands doesn't have finished photos and why the project photo progress has stopped right before wing sheeting...